Lady A

The Space in Between

Independent

Anita White, born July 18, 1958, is known professionally as Lady A. She was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. She began singing with her musical family at the age of five. Her performance career began in the 1980s as a backup vocalist in a Motown cover band. She formed her group Lady A & the Baby Blues Funk Band and has played with them for 18 years. She has since gone solo and has toured the Pacific Northwest and Mississippi Delta regions. Lady A has released seven solo albums, debuting in 2010. She operates Lady A Productions, serving gospel and blues artists. As of 2020, she hosts two music shows on NWCZ Radio online: Gumbo & Gospel, and Black N Blues (the B Side). Her own music’s subject matter has included anti-racist activism, such as songs about the killing of Trayvon Martin and the murder of George Floyd.

On her birthday, July 18, 2026, Lady A released her highly anticipated new album, The Space in Between. Recorded at Dexter Allen Entertainment Studios in Jackson, Mississippi, the project features songs written entirely by Lady A, an important first in her recording career. Blending blues, soul, and gospel influences, the album explores the conversations we avoid, the memories we carry, and the healing that happens in the spaces between. Lady A states, “There’s a message in the music and a piece of everyone in the songs.”

The album opens with the funky, gospel-based “I Wish You Would,” with Dexter Allen on guitar and bass and Joey Robinson on piano and drums, as Lady A sings, “There are times in our lives, up against stress & strife, distractions all in our way, folks like to talk, so they say, what she doin’ now, who she think she is, why you got that on, she that like she live. All that utter chaos, distracts from your purpose, when you know your life is good, and they keep talking. Just tell ’em, I wish you would. I wish you would keep my name ‘in’ your mouth, keep your hater status strong, know what I’m talkin’ ’bout. I wish you would keep on pretendin’, bout who you like and who you don’t, one thing is for sure, stopping my blessings, my grind, you sure won’t, but I wish you would, yeah I wish you would.”

On “This World,” with Allen on guitar and bass and Robinson adding drums, Hammond B-3, horns, and strings, Lady A chimes, “This world is so full of hatred…feels tho’ all hope is gone, if we don’t get it together, will be too late before long, this world is so full of hatred feels tho’ all hope is gone, if we can’t pull it together, might be too late before long. Hummmm. I know my life is worth something, dispite what you might think, we all are here for a reason…find a passion fill in the blanks, try carryin’ a load for your brother, smile at your sista sometime. We all have a purpose, do you know yours, cuz I know mine. This world is full of hatred, stop turnin’ your head, you’re not blind. If you look to the hills…I know that love you will find. You’ll find love, some kindness, release the hate, open your eyes to the blindness, look for joy and find your peace, look inside yourself, let love release.”

“Sittin’ Here Waitin’ on You,” with the same lineup minus the horns, features Lady A as she chants, “Sittin’ here waiting on you, feelin’ like a fool, this is what I do, sittin’ here waitin’ on you. I ain’t got nowhere to go, I ain’t got no one to know, sittin’ here waitin’ on you. All my dreams are for the takin’, all my loves for the makin’, just need a little motivation, to put myself into the mood. Sittin’ here waitin’ on you, this is what I do, sittin’ here waiting on you. I ain’t got no where to go, I ain’t got no one to know, sittin’ here waitin’ on you.”

On “Everytime,” with a lead and backing vocal from Lady A, guitar from Dexter Allen, drums and backing vocal from John Oliver III, and acoustic and electric piano from Robinson, Lady A moans, “Every time I try to rise a little higher, every time I choose peace over fire, I mind my business, stay in my own lane, try to break old cycles, call my own name. But just when I get my footing right, here they come, throwin’ stones at my light. Every time I choose to live better, do better, do better than before, every time I get a little stronger, they come knockin’ at my door. Talkin’ loud, throwin’ shade, tellin’ lies, but I’m still standin’, head held high. Yeah, every time I rise above the pain, here come the haters, everytime. (Ahhhh) I made some choices, had to pay my dues, lost some friends, learned some truths, ain’t everybody happy when you change. Some folks just love when you stay the same, I didn’t come this far to turn around, Much too rooted, far too sound. They don’t know what it cost me to be free, don’t understand that prayer that’s over me, I didn’t change I evolved, and that wasn’t me, that was God.”

“Sip-a-Liquor” features Allen on guitar and bass and Robinson on piano, drums, and strings, as Lady A groans, “Took a sip a liquor, the lights started to flicker, now the whole house done burned down…caught my baby rubbin up against some woman, lost my head for moment, took a sip liquour, now the whole house done burned down, wasn’t thinkin’ straight I guess…what got me in this mess…the talk is all over town! Took a sip a liquor, lights began to flicker, now the whole damn house done burned down, didn’t make it to work today…somehow I know I’ll pay, so I took a sip liquor and the whole house done burned down. Just need a little break today, I know the lord will make a way…I just need some space today, so the whole house don’t burn down.”

On “That’s My Momma,” with guitar and bass from Allen and piano, drums, and horns from Robinson, Lady A sings in a Cajun style as she wails, “That’s my momma, my meemaw, my mudear, that’s my girl. She’s everything to me, blesses my whole world, she’s my momma, my mudear, my meemaw, my girl. She kept me and always did the best she did, clothes on my back, roof over our heads, we stayed in the best neighborhood. What ever sport I was playin’ she made sure the money was there, I’m walkin’ round in privilege not really givin’ a care, when I thought I was grown and one time thought I would sass, she gave me that look, you know the kind that says I’ll knock you on your…hmmm….Now I’m grown, understand the sacrifices she made, not everything was perfect, but she made sure all the bills were paid, she prays for us and keeps us under gods watchful care…we may not always see eye to eye, but in times of trouble I can’t deny, that’s my momma, my meemaw, my mudear my girl, she’s everything to me, such as my whole world.”

“That Man I’m Looking For,” with Allen on guitar and bass, Robinson on piano, and Oliver on drums, features Lady A as she cries out, “There’s a man I’m looking for, got to be the sweetest of everything, strong, praying man, good lookin, you know what I mean, the type of man you bring home to meet yo’ momma and me. He won’t waste my time, know what he wants from the beginning’. This man I’m looking for, gotta be searchin’ for me too, see I’m the woman who don’t play no games, want somebody, that’s knows it’s ’bout me and you. I need a partner, a lover, who in the prayin’ the game, who knows it takes two to make it, we both feel the same.”

On the title track, “The Space in Between,” with Allen on guitar and bass, Oliver on piano and drums, and Robinson on Hammond B-3 and guitar, and with great harmony, Lady A howls, “The road is heavy, the load ain’t light I carry, but I know I can make it thru alright. The people I run into, I know I can see thru, all this evil in the world, the stress and strife. I choose to see the space in between, the love the kindness, do you know what I mean, we know there’s darkness in a world that can be so mean, but I choose to the space between. You can see the people on the street, children with not enough to eat, I’m thankful everyday, you run blindly through the day, do you take time to pray, I know, thank god, that there’s a way. I choose to see the space in between, love kindness, do you know what I mean, we know there’s darkness, it can be so mean, but I choose the space in between.”

On the closer, with Allen on guitar and bass, Oliver on drums and clarinet, and Robinson on piano and Hammond B-3, Lady A croons, “Somebody’s sick, think they might not get well, listen to me, I got a story to tell, the lord he brought me from a mighty long way, there was a time, I didn’t think I’d make it from day to day. It was always somethin’, somethin’ or the other, but one thing for sure I stay covered. People try to drag you and try to put you down, just always remember, whose child you are and he’s always around. Folks always got somethin’ to say about one or the other, just keep remindin’ yourself, I stay covered. I believe no weapon formed against me, ever shall prosper. I keep my mind on Jesus and remember I’m his daughter. People try to drag you about one thing or another, one thing for sure I stay covered.”

Lady A’s performances are more than concerts, they are experiences. Rooted in blues, soul, and gospel tradition, Lady A’s music speaks to life, love, resilience, and community, creating meaningful connections with audiences wherever she performs. A four-time Washington Blues Society award winner, Lady A has been recognized for her outstanding contributions as both a performer and a vocalist. In 2025, she was honored with an inaugural Performer of the Year Award. Known as “the hardest workin’ woman in blues, soul, funk & gospel,” Lady A continues to use her voice as a force for connection, healing, and hope, living by her guiding philosophy.

Richard Ludmerer

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